Tampa Bay Rays and local officials announce a tentative $2.3B deal for a new ballpark
The Tampa Bay Rays and local officials have reached a groundbreaking agreement for the construction of a new $2.3 billion ballpark in Tampa. The funding for the project will come from a combination of public and private sources, with $967 million in tax dollars allocated for the stadium. The memorandum of understanding signed by the Rays, Hillsborough County, and the city of Tampa is a significant step towards making the new ballpark a reality.
Rays CEO Ken Babby expressed his excitement about the agreement, stating that the new stadium will provide a “Forever Home” for the team and create a vibrant neighborhood for residents to work, live, learn, and play. The proposed location for the stadium is on the Dale Mabry Campus of Hillsborough College, adjacent to the New York Yankees’ spring training facility and Raymond James Stadium.
The Rays have set an ambitious timeline for the construction of the new stadium, aiming to have it completed within three years. This move comes after the team’s lease at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg runs through the 2028 season. The Rays had briefly relocated their home games to Steinbrenner Field in 2025 due to hurricane damage at the Trop, but have since returned to their original home ballpark.
This new agreement marks a significant development in the Rays’ quest for a new stadium, following the collapse of a previous $1.3 billion redevelopment deal last year. With new ownership under Patrick Zalupski’s group, the team is looking towards a bright future in their new state-of-the-art facility.
The Tampa Bay community is eagerly anticipating the construction of the new ballpark, which will not only provide a modern home for the Rays but also revitalize the surrounding area. The upcoming votes by elected officials in Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa will be crucial in moving the project forward and bringing the vision of a new ballpark to life.
For more updates on the Tampa Bay Rays and their new stadium project, stay tuned to AP MLB coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/MLB.
